I’ve been lucky enough to live out my passion for the majority of my life… I was a ski racer and attended Olympic Training Centers with the likes of Apollo Anton Ono and rode the chairlift with Lindsey Vonn before her last name was even Vonn. Honestly, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have lived the life I have. And to be honest I never thought that by quitting skiing that I’d find an even greater passion… One for helping others.
In 2016 I found myself at a crossroads. I was seeing some success in skiing but I was searching for love, validation, and the ability to be seen by brands as a marketing asset. I was pursuing pictures, videos, and tricks with no regard for my body… And honestly, I was having a blast doing it. But it ended in a broken back and a broken ego.
I found myself at a crossroads.
Get bitter or get better…
So I chose to get better. At least I committed to trying. I was able to start working on my fitness but I was still struggling with the idea of internal vs external validation. I was stuck attempting to measure my self-worth as a human, based on my ability to be an asset to a brand… and while that level of commitment might have been the bag of goods I was sold… It’s not the truth. You’re actually a liability to a brand to have that level of dependence.
As an athlete or in a relationship it’s important to generate your own worth within the sport… people… career… Honestly, whatever the relationship is, you’re better off being an asset with no emotional dependence. Brands, people, careers… they can all be ripped away from you at any time. But that’s a story for another time…
Anyways, I found myself stronger than ever and vying for attention from people on IG. I found myself getting a lot of attention and trying to only show the world what I was doing, but tell stories about my life. I found myself sponsored by the best ski jacket company in the world and I found myself with over 10,000 followers on Instagram…
I still wasn’t happy and I was still risking my body for the sake of attention and validation. And at the end of the day I was still a liability to myself, my family and even to ski brands. I found myself getting injured the next 2 seasons… Tearing my ACL and fracturing my tibia.
And that’s when I knew something had to give.
I knew I had to figure out something else.
I was sick of trying so hard and being so close to so many successes just to find myself in rehab for a body part at the end of every season… And that’s when my passion first started to change.
I started an online education program for learning how to ski… I had a lot of fun and it evolved over time into a podcast and eventually the business I run now. I honestly never would have imagined that quitting my passion would help me find a deeper one but I’ve been lucky enough now to use my passion to help others create a living for themselves. I’m been able to pay my employees and help them purchase houses for their parents.
I’ve been able to use my previous experience and passion to speak to students about internal validation and I’ve been told that my story has helped others save their lives…
I never would have imagined 4 years ago that if you told when me I quit skiing or pursuing it professionally, I’d be happier than I was then…
It’s insane to think that when I was 26 all I wanted to do was be THE person in the spotlight as a skier…
And now I write for a publication that gets 130 Million monthly visits… There only about 9 million people that ski every year…
I jumped into a bigger pond, I get a bigger impact and I get to help others actually pursue their passions because they have financial freedom…
Sometime’s heaven is on the other side of a roadblock that looks like the very thing you want.